Indian father kills eight-month-old son to appease goddess Kali

Indian father kills his eight-month-old son with an axe to appease Hindu goddess of destruction and rebirth The father bathed the infant and took him to a temple for prayers He took him home and killed him in front of an idol of the goddess Kali.

His wife witnessed him striking the child twice over the neck with an axe Police say he has shown no remorse for his actions A crazed father axed his eight-month-old infant to death as a sacrifice to the Indian goddess of destruction and rebirth.

Rajkumar Chaurasia told police he had killed his son because he had been 'ordered to do so by goddess Kali'.

Chaurasia reportedly gave his son a bath and took him for a prayer at a temple dedicated to Kali, also known as Durga.

He then took the child home and axed him to death infront of an idol of the goddess placed in a temple he had built in the house in Narain Purva village in Barabanki district of the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.

Chaurasia's wife is understood to have seen him striking her son with the axe twice on his neck.

Chaurasia, known locally as Hemant, then attempted to flee but he was apprehended by other members of the village who handed him over to the police.

A police spokesman told the Deccan Herald: 'Hemant had planned to kill the infant soon after his birth.

'He thought that the sacrifice will bring happiness in the lives of the childless couples, who visited the Goddess Kali temple.'

The incident happened in Narain Purva village in Barabanki district

of the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh Chaurasia was charged with his son's murder and sent for a medical examination to assess his mental state.

Police said he did not show any regrets over his act. Although rare, human sacrifices continue to be made in some tribal parts of India where people continue to consult traditional healers, or witch doctors.

Kali, also known as Durga, is the Indian goddess of death and destruction. She is associated with time and change and is sometimes revered as an annihilator of evil forces.

- Mail Online